


Pulling Me Apart At The Seams

by The_King_In_Yellow



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff and Angst, Rating May Change, Reader-Insert, Single Parents, Slow Burn, lovers to strangers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2018-11-08 01:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11070939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_King_In_Yellow/pseuds/The_King_In_Yellow
Summary: You were happy in this town. You had your home, your friends, your work, and you had your son, Jack. There wasn't anything more you could possibly want.Until you catch a glimpse of a stranger that gives you the most peculiar sense of deja vu, and now you won't be happy until you get answers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Pulling Me Apart at The Seems](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9272036) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account). 



> Adopted from here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9272036
> 
> I'm kinda winging this, if you have any suggestions or criticism feel free to comment. Thanks for reading!

You were happy. You had been living in this town for just shy of six years, long enough to settle in and get comfortable. You had a good job with regular hours, which let you be there when your son needed you.

Your son. Jack was a little over five years old, small for his age, but plenty smart. He was buckled into his car seat in the back as you drove home from picking him up at daycare. Really, you were so lucky there was such a nice daycare in this town. You couldn't dream of a nicer place to raise a child. 

"Moooom can we watch a movie tonight? Pleeeeease?" Jack begged, pouting at you in the rearview mirror. He was so cute, even when he was making demands. Something about his stunning blue eyes made your heart ache...

"We'll see. Mommy has to make dinner first." You said gently as you pulled into the driveway. Jack beamed, his smile making you smile back. You couldn't help it, his joy was infectious. He was the sweetest little boy in the world, you were certain of it. You took your time getting Jack out of the car, letting him grab his backpack and carry it to the house.

The front door was unlocked, and as soon as you opened it the familiar smell of fresh flowers hit you. Smiling wider, you led Jack inside. Your neighbor Ron was a florist and he often brought flowers home from work just to brighten your day. You didn't know what you'd do without friends like him and his wife, Jenny.

"Hi Ron! You beat me home again, huh?" You said cheerfully, taking Jack's backpack and hanging it in the hall. Ron waved from the living room, a vase full of flowers on the coffee table. They were slightly lopsided, like they had gotten squashed by accident. No good to sell, but still perfectly lovely, you thought to yourself. Jack squealed in delight as he ran to Ron, bouncing on his toes to get a better look at the flowers.

"As usual, missy! Have a good day at work?" Ron said, flashing a buck-toothed grin as he grabbed a carnation for Jack to look at. 

"Same old, same old. There's a rumor going around that someone put in their two week's notice, but it's just hearsay." You answered, flopping down on the couch next to Ron. The TV was on the news, something about a charity ball. "Is Jenny coming over? I was thinking about making casserole tonight, there should be plenty for everyone." You added, turning to face Ron.

"I think she'd like that. It's been a rough week for her at the hospital." Ron said warmly, smiling as he reached for his phone to check on his wife.

An hour or two later, you were waving to Jenny and Ron as they left after dinner. Belly full of food, Jack was dozing in your arms, his head pillowed on your shoulder as you closed the door. As much as you enjoyed your job, it left you worn out and you were eager to follow Jack's lead. You smiled to yourself as you went to put your boy to bed.

You were so happy.

* * *

 

It was sort of an open secret in Overwatch that Soldier:76 was Jack Morrison. Everyone had figured it out in their own way, but it wasn't exactly a challenge. Angela's Caduceus system had identified his DNA, Winston had pulled fingerprints from Athena's records, Jesse had recognized Jack's aftershave of all things.

The point was, everybody knew. Even the younger members had found out eventually, though they didn't quite understand the significance of Jack's "resurrection" and decision to return to Overwatch. 

Angela had offered Jack her condolences the day after they met once more. Winston hadn't said anything, but Jack had found a file folder full of old photographs in his quarters one night.

It was these very same photographs that Jack flipped through now. They were all of his life... before. Before the fall of Overwatch, before his death, before... before he had lost you. 

His hands came to rest on a large, eight-by-eleven photograph. The two of you were front and center, beaming at the camera, arms wrapped around each other. It was a photo of the happiest day of his life, the day he had married you. You were stunning, flawless in a white dress that made you look like a princess. You were blushing in the photo, caught mid-laugh as Jack swept you off your feet. Gabriel stood on your other side, Jack's best friend and best man. The wedding had been one of the last times Jack could remember seeing him smile. Next to him was Winston, wearing the second biggest tuxedo in the world. The award for biggest tuxedo went to Reinhardt, who stood behind the group, a handkerchief the size of a parachute clutched in his hands. Ana stood next to Jack, Fareeha standing on tip-toe to be in the frame. Jack sighed and set the photo down. He had more from the wedding, more smiling faces, more happy memories, but none of them would bring you back.

Just a few months after your wedding, Jack's life had begun to fall apart.

It started with Amelie being kidnapped. Gerard was beside himself with grief, tearing himself up with anxiety as he tried to spearhead the search for his wife. When she was found, Jack thought things would go back to normal.

He couldn't have been more wrong. Amelie murdered Gerard and vanished into the night. Blackwatch was being incriminated in illegal activities. Gabriel was becoming more and more distant. Ana died in action, leaving Fareeha and orphan. Through all these trials, at least Jack had you by his side.

Until one day, he suddenly didn't. You vanished as suddenly as Amelie had, all evidence once again pointing to Talon involvement. Jack never would have expected what was thought to be a small time terrorist cell to make such bold moves. They had established a pattern now, and as much as Jack hated to admit it, if you were ever returned... he wouldn't be allowed to trust you.

It broke his heart to think about, but Jack hadn't gotten much time to think. Like a chain of dominoes, his life collapsed after you disappeared. Overwatch was being investigated, the founding members were either resigning, retiring, or simply dead. The disaster that was his existence came to a horrifying climax in Geneva on the fateful day Jack confronted Gabriel and everything he had ever known went up in flames...

Jack pulled himself from the unhappy memories and set the photos aside. He couldn't be moping. He had answered the Recall to stop Talon from making anyone else suffer the way he had, the way they all had. He was just about to head to the training range when Athena's voice cut through his reverie. 

"Soldier:76, Winston is requesting your presence in the main Lab. He and Doctors Ziegler and Zhou would like your assistance interpreting data recovered from Talon."

Frowning, Jack wondered what three brilliant scientists needed his help with, and left his quarters for the Lab. This ought to be interesting, at the very least. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, Soldier, you're here." Winston's voice cut over the soft murmurs of the two women beside him. Winston, Mei, and Mercy had all crowded in front of a single monitor, pointing out line after line of data. 

"Winston, Angela, Mei." Jack said, nodding respectfully. He had worked with all three of them before and knew they were each an expert in their field... So why did they need his help? "Is this the information we stole from Talon in the last mission?"

"Ah, well, I prefer to say we "recovered" it." Winston said with a laugh. "But yes, it is. And it's... Well, it's worse than we thought. There are almost a thousand experiments on file, including the initial records on Widowmaker's... conditioning. But one record stood out to us, and we- well, that is to say Angela, thought we should-"

"Oh for goodness sake! We wanted to show you what we found, Jack." Angela said, cutting off Winston. She turned to Jack, her face serious. "Now before I show you this test subject... I want you to stay calm, Jack." Despite Angela's words, Jack found himself gradually growing less calm. Whatever they had found, it had to be nasty. Talon had a history for awful human experiments, modifications, drugs, testing the limits of not just the human body but the human psyche.

"I'm as calm as I'm going to get. What's so awful about this experiment?" Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest. Even Mei looked uncomfortable as Winston highlighted one of the experiments on file. 

_Experiment 413_

_Female test subject acquired from Overwatch. No injuries or illnesses. Conduct standard memory alteration procedure. Subject approximately seven weeks pregnant at start of experiment._

Jack felt his throat go dry as he read the brief entry. Next to the cold, clinical description was a photograph of you. Your eyes were closed, and if he hadn't known better, you could have just been sleeping.

"She... She was pregnant?" Jack breathed, his knees giving out under him. 

* * *

 

"Time to wake up, baby!" You sang, leaning over your son. Jack whined and clenched his eyelids tight, burying his face in the pillow. "Oh come on sweetie, don't you want breakfast?" You said with a laugh, brushing Jack's blond hair back from his face. He was such a perfect child... His striking hair and eyes, matched with your skin tone and a nose that was an exact copy of your own. You leaned down to press a quick kiss to that adorable nose, startling a giggle from Jack.

"Mooooom! It's Saturday, why do I have to get up?" Jack huffed, pulling his blanket up to his chin. He pouted at you with all his might, his lower lip sticking out.

"Because you'll be sad if you sleep the day away. Don't you want to watch some cartoons with me?" You asked, kissing Jack's forehead. You loved Jack so, so much. He was everything to you, your entire world, your only one. Ever since his father-

You didn't like thinking about Jack's father. It made your chest tighten up and your eyes fill with tears you couldn't explain. Luckily most people didn't ask, respecting a single mother's right to privacy. But some days you wished... You just wished you had someone to help you raise Jack, to be a father figure to him.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Jack asked, blinking up at you. You touched your cheek, finding tears already dripping down your face.

"Just allergies, honey. Let's go get breakfast, okay?" You said, fighting a sniffle. This always happened when you thought about Jack's father. You didn't even feel sad, not really, just... Just like you forgot something, something so important that it hurt. 

Forcing the strange feelings aside, you helped Jack out of bed. Saturday was a lazy day, so you both stayed in your pajamas as you went to the kitchen for breakfast. 

Two heaping bowls of cereal later, you sat side-by-side with Jack as he watched cartoons. You weren't paying much attention to the TV, your chest still uncomfortably tight from before. You tried to clear your thoughts, just stroking Jack's hair and laughing along with him to the slapstick jokes on silly sight gags. Jack's laughter could always lift your spirits... You pulled your little boy into your lap, wrapping your arms around him. He let out a giggle and snuggled back against you, sighing happily.

That's right, nothing could be wrong when you had your baby boy. Jack was your everything, your entire world, your only one...

So why did you still feel like you had been missing something all these years?


	3. Chapter 3

"There's a whole town of these people? Just like a... dumping ground for Talon's experiments?" Jack said hoarsely, trying not to look at his shaking hands. He had moved from the floor to a chair, but he still felt weak. You were alive. You were  _alive._

You had been pregnant. It made him feel sick to his stomach, he had never known. He doubted you had known, either. There was no record of a newborn in any of the other experiments on file, but Jack didn't put it past Talon to play God with a child's life. He had to clench his fists to stop them from shaking. What if... What if you had never come to full term? 

He didn't know what was worse, the possibility of you raising a child alone, or the possibility of you simply being alone.

"I wouldn't calling it a dump, Soldier. More of a... continuous experiment." Winston said, his deep voice cutting through Jack's thoughts. "Many of these experiments involve sleeper agents, similar to the procedure conducted on Mrs. LaCroix. The entire town is a minefield of highly trained assassins, and we have no idea what might set any of them off." Winston adjusted his glasses, looking apprehensive as he continued, "And... Well. Talon's basic memory alteration seems to leave the victim a sort of "blank slate," a civilian with no memories of their specialized training or military history. But we have no idea if Agent Reader received further conditioning beyond that. For all we know she might be-" Winston cut himself off, chewing his lip.

"For all we know, this might be an elaborate trap." Mei said, taking over for Winston. Her face was calm, though she was wringing her hands. "A lot of the people in these files are connected to Overwatch. Given Talon's methods, it's not hard to imagine that this entire town is meant to be a trap for anyone attempting a rescue." She said coolly. Jack couldn't keep himself from grinding his teeth behind his visor. He knew Mei had a point, but... You were alive! He needed to find you, needed to see your face, if only for a second-

"Jack." Angela's voice was firm, though it didn't quite cover the concerned tone. "Jack, please. We need to be rational. Yes, we are planning a rescue, but it will be risky. Whatever Talon has been doing, they've had years to set up this facility. This isn't the kind of thing we can do guns blazing. We need to start with recon." Angela said, her voice getting sterner with ever word. 

Jack felt his shoulders slump. She was right, they all were right.

"Will you at least let me help with the reconnaissance?"

* * *

 

You couldn't stop yourself from smiling as Jack let out a shriek of delight and sprinted for the playground. There were already a few children outside despite the early hour, so you let Jack go to greet them. All the neighborhood kids knew each other, so you didn't bat an eyelash as Jack joined the game of tag they were playing. Your sweet little boy was so friendly, it warmed your heart knowing Jack could make a new friend no matter what.

Finding an empty bench you settled down to read a book while keeping an eye on Jack. You weren't particularly worried about anything, but good common sense told you to stay close by in case the kids got too rowdy. Some of the children were older and bigger than Jack, and the last thing you wanted was for anyone to get hurt. 

You had only been reading for a few minutes when you were interrupted. 

"May I sit here?" A soft, lightly accented voice brought you out of your book. A white-haired woman with a deep blue headscarf was smiling at you, a bag of birdseed in her hands.

"Oh! Of course, go right ahead." You said, smiling back at her. She seemed familiar, but you couldn't recall seeing her anywhere around town before... "Are you here for one of the kids?" You asked, glancing at the playground. None of the kids seemed to match the woman's features, but you couldn't assume-

"Oh no, I usually just come to feed the birds." The woman said, patting the bag of seed. "But I decided to watch a different kind of animal today." She said with a chuckle, leaning back on the bench to watch the children play.

Well, that explained why she seemed familiar. You must have seen her feeding birds somewhere before. It didn't seem quite right, but... Well, that had to be it! You would remember talking to such a distinctive woman before! 

"What about you? Is one of the little rascals yours?" The woman's voice was so kind, it was easy to answer her, she put you at ease.

"The blond boy is mine. My little Jackie, he'll be turning six this year." You said proudly, waving at your son when he looked up. The woman beside you tensed, but you couldn't imagine why. 

"Jack, hm? That is a good name for a boy." The woman said, her voice thoughtful and light, but her hands were white knuckled. A strange sense of unease settled over you.

Just who was this woman?


	4. Chapter 4

"Whatever it is that Talon did to her, it was effective. She didn't recognize me for an instant." Ana's voice was solemn as she gave her debriefing. It was too early to say if the mission was a success or a failure, but one thing was certain: You were a priority. If they could break whatever conditioning Talon had inflicted on you, there was a chance they could save others, too. 

"Was she... was she alright?" Jack had to grit his teeth to keep his voice from shaking. He didn't want to be here, didn't want to listen to them talk about you like you were a simple objective to be captured. But he couldn't bear not being here, couldn't bear missing any information about you.

"She looked well. Healthy, happy, and... Jack." Ana was looking at him, her good eye soft with compassion. "She has a son. There is no doubt in my mind that the child is yours." The tension in the air was palpable. They had discussed the possibility after they had found your experiment log, but... Jack almost hadn't wanted to believe it. He had never met his own child. It ripped open all the old wounds in his heart and gouged new ones even deeper. He had lost you. He had missed the birth, the first words, the first steps. His own son was old enough to be going to school and Jack had never even seen him.

Winston was tapping away excitedly on a holotablet, clearly taking notes. Angela kept glancing from Jack to Ana, her hands clenching as if to reach for her Caduceus staff. Mei seemed to be the most detached, though it made sense. She had never met you, the only emotional investment she had in the mission was for your sake as a fellow Overwatch agent.

"There is one last thing..." Even Winston looked up when Ana spoke. "Regardless of her conditioning, something has slipped through. She named the child Jack." 

* * *

 

"Mommy? Can I play a game?" Jack asked, pointing at the old fashioned TV on the wall. You had loads of child friendly games just for Jack, though you did make sure he didn't spend too much time on them. 

"Sure thing sweetie, what did you want to play?" You asked as you followed you son to the living room. It was comfortably furnished, a large couch in the cent of the room taking up most of the space. Jack rushed to the TV to turn it on, it always surprised you how clever he was. Sometimes he acted so much smarter than any other five year old should be...

"I wanna play this one!" Jack had selected a flashy looking game from the very back of the library. Honestly, you couldn't even remember buying it.

"Overwatch: Save the World? I don't know, that one looks kind of violent..."

"But Moooooooom!" You sighed. Jack had already mastered the puppy eyes and whine that had you wrapped around his little finger.

"Alright, but I'm going to sit with you the whole time. I don't know if this game is okay for kids." But even as you spoke, you could see the parental warning didn't say anything other than cartoon mischief. Jack started the game, settled down beside you as he wrapped his little hands around the controller. You sighed as you watched the game load up, the opening cutscene washing over you. Something something Overwatch, blah blah Omnic Crisis, yak yak yak save the world. Finally the tutorial started up and a character appeared in the corner of the screen to give instructions.

Honestly, a video game character had no right to be so attractive. His bright blond hair, his deep blue eyes, that rugged jawline... You huffed. It had been a long time, okay? You spent most of your time taking care of Jack, dating wasn't exactly a priority.

"Commander Morrison here, good job soldier! You're ready to take on the Omnic threat and Save the World!" He said dramatically as you rolled your eyes at the obvious title drop. Jack was eating it up though, cheering as he led his character around the screen, jumping over brightly colored bullets and lasers. Well, you supposed it wasn't too bad... Jack could always use more positive role models, even if this one was a game character.

Though that didn't explain why he seemed so familiar. You knew about Overwatch, but it was all sort of fuzzy. You hadn't been anywhere near the actual fighting during the Omnic Crisis, so the whole event was sort of vague to you. You could remember seeing news reports almost every day as the death toll rose higher and higher but...

No, that wasn't right. You had been right there! You had been at ground zero during the bombing of your home city! That's why you had decided to join-

Join? Join what? Join Overwatch? That was ridiculous, you never would have joined a paramilitary organization like that! Certainly not one that was so corrupt that it collapsed on itself. You rubbed your forehead, trying to fight off a nagging headache. You really needed to drink less coffee, these caffeine headaches were awful.

"Would you like something to drink, Jackie?" You asked, ruffling your son's hair. He whined that you were distracting him before asking for juice. He almost forgot to add a long winded "Pleeeeeease!" at the end, but you would forgive him this time. You sighed and got to your feet, listening to Commander Morrison congratulate Jack yet again.

What a ridiculous game. Save the world? That was a joke.


	5. Chapter 5

"Reader? May I see you in my office?" You looked up from your computer when you heard your name. It was an ordinary day working your ordinary desk job right up until...

"Of course Mr. Jimenez!" What was the regional manager doing here? You barely ever saw him! He was always wearing a three piece suit that made him look even bigger and more intimidating than he already was, not that he needed any help with that. Mr. Jimenez was a tall, broad shouldered man with a number of scars across his face and head. And yet for all his frightening features, he had such soft eyes. He was always smiling, though you thought he looked kind of sad despite it. 

You followed him to his office, rushing to keep up with his enormous steps. Gentleman that he was, he held the door for you before pulling out the chair in front of his desk. 

"Now I'm sure you're wondering why I asked for a word... No, don't make that face at me. It's nothing bad." You did your best to hide your nerves. Even with his reassurance, you couldn't help but wonder if you were about to be fired. "Reader, there's a conference coming up in the next state over, and I'm going to need someone to help me handle it." Was he... was he asking you what you thought he was asking you? "I know it's a lot to ask, since you're the sole caregiver of your child-" Did he seriously remember that? He had interviewed you for this job years ago and he remembered little details like that? "-but I can't think of anyone better suited to come with me than you."

He was smiling again, that heartbreaking sad smile that seemed to haunt his face. You were speechless for a full thirty seconds before you finally found your voice.

"Mr. Jimenez, I'd be honored!" You'd be honored by the career opportunities a trip like this presented, more like. This was a chance to get your foot in the door with your boss's boss! If this business trip went off without a hitch, bonus season would be a sweet time of year.

You were eager enough that Mr. Jimenez's disappointed expression didn't even make a dent in your happiness.

* * *

 

"You're still going through the files from Talon?" Jack's voice was more rough than usual. He had been drinking more coffee than water, and it was definitely showing.

"Well, yes. Some of these are... Well. I think it would be easier to just show you." Winston waffled as usual, fidgeting with his keyboard as he pulled up several files. 

_Experiment 019_

_Male test subject acquired from Overwatch. No injuries or illnesses.  Physical condition matches SEP modifications. Conduct behavioral alteration procedures._

"Gabe?!" Jack couldn't help the way he gasped when he saw a familiar face on the screen. Gabriel Reyes as he had been almost twenty years before... "Talon had access to him... Jesus Christ, how old are these?" He cried out, leaning over Winston's shoulder to see the date.

"It gets worse." The scientist murmured, shifting Gabriel's file to the background.

_Experiment 121_

_Female test subject acquired from Overwatch. No injuries or illnesses. Conduct memory and behavioral alterations in accordance with standard sleeper agent procedure._

"You found Widowmaker's file?" Jack said, his voice harsh. 

"I found Widowmaker's _initial_ file. They modified her considerably more than this, but I only have the first few experiments they performed." Winston clarified, pulling up charts and documents that meant absolutely nothing to Jack. "There's... one more file I think you should see." Winston's hand was shaking. Why was he shaking?

_Experiment 612_

_Male test subject acquired on site. No injuries or illnesses. Paternity test matches Strike Commander Jack Morrison. No evidence of inherited SEP modifications from father. Monitor for possible future tests._

Jack's mouth went dry. The first photo was a newborn, naked and howling. The second was a toddler, and after that, a little boy. This was his son. His son, and he was nothing but a number to Talon! An experiment! Did they even know his name?! Blood was roaring in Jack's ears as he stared at the photos, each one cold and clinical and utterly failing to capture the spirit of the little boy. Jack had grilled Ana for every detail, he knew his son was energetic and friendly, he knew his son was clever and sweet and that he shared his lunch with other children on the playground. And most of all, he knew his son was  _not_ a number!

"Jack? Jack, please, can you hear me?" Winston was waving one large hand in front of Jack's face, trying to get his attention. 

"Y-yeah, sorry. I..." Jack trailed off, lost for words as he looked back at the photos, his gaze drawn like some awful magnet.

"I understand, I just... Well. When I found these files, I thought you had a right to know." Winston looked down at his feet. "He... he looks a lot like you. He's got your eyes." 

"He has her face." Jack murmured, looking at the only photos of his son he had ever seen. 


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner that night was a disaster. Your mind was still on the business trip. You hadn't left the city in years, it would be great to stretch your legs a little, even if it meant leaving Jack with Ron and Jenny for the better part of two weeks. Unfortunately, Jack was not happy about that. 

"Noooo!" Jack howled, clinging to your leg as you cooked. 

"Careful honey, don't trip Mommy while she's holding something hot." You said as you pulled a pan out of the oven. You were still trying to get Jack to try more vegetables, and today was roasted eggplant. You hoped he'd eat it since it wasn't green, but... well, his mood was already awful.

"I don't want you to go!" Jack wailed, still holding on to your leg as you scooped steaming eggplant out of the skin.

"It's just a business trip, sweetie. I'll be back before you know it." You said, carefully fixing dinner on Jack's favorite plate. It had little sections and everything so none of his food touched. "Are you hungry?" You asked, breathing in the rich smell of eggplant. Next to it was some unoffensive chicken and rice, so if Jack didn't like the vegetables at least he wouldn't go hungry.

"No! I don't wanna eat!" Jack said, still pouting with all his might as you picked him up and set him on his chair. He glared at the plate you set in front of him. "What's that?"

"It's eggplant, honey. Why don't you try it?" You said as you grabbed your own plate and sat down. You weren't really a clean eating nut, though you had definitely put more effort into eating healthy once you had Jack.  You couldn't remember much of your pregnancy, it was almost entirely a blur. Pregnancy brain and all that, you blamed the hormones. You ate a bite of eggplant and made a big deal of humming about how good it was, trying to tempt Jack into eating. 

Jack picked up his fork and hesitantly took a bite. He clearly didn't like it, but at least he didn't throw the plate. He made a show of carefully turning his plate so the eggplant was farthest away from him before he moved on to the chicken and rice.

You sighed. Well, maybe you'd have more luck with a different vegetable.

* * *

 

The day of the business trip was tough. You kissed Jack a dozen times before you left for work, your bag slung over your shoulder, but he still bawled his eyes out as you left him with Ron. 

You couldn't get rid of a nagging worry even when you got to work, the oddest sensation that something was going to happen. You were just being paranoid, a young mother leaving her son for the first time, but still... You trusted your gut, and your gut was telling you to get the hell out of dodge.

"Ready to go, Reader?" You jumped when you heard Mr. Jimenez's voice, spinning to face him. "We're taking a company car." He said, smiling at you.

"Yes sir!" He was dressed much more casually than usual, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt instead of his usual suits. He had told you to dress comfy for the journey as well, but somehow you still felt shabby compared to him. 

You followed him down to the company parking garage. It never made sense to you why such a small office had such a huge garage, but asking questions was above your paygrade. You eyed the sleek black vehicles, all clearly expensive. Like a true gentleman, Mr. Jimenez held the door for you as you climbed into a black sedan with tinted windows. The door closing behind you sounded oddly... ominous. You glanced over to the driver's side, waiting for Mr. Jimenez to join you when-

" _Bonne nuit,_ _chérie._ " A slight pinch in the back of your neck, and you knew no more.

* * *

 

Over a decade ago, Ana wouldn't have minded reconnaissance with Jack as her backup. Today was an entirely different matter. He was fidgeting, completely unfocused, and entirely annoying. 

"If you don't stop that, I'm going to tranquilize you." Ana growled, turning to glare at Jack with her good eye. They had spent the past few hours holed up in the back of a moving van, an external camera giving them a full view of the street. 

"I just... I have a bad feeling about this." Jack said, his voice raspier than usual. 

"Jack, you've had a bad feeling for the past six years." Ana said with a sigh. Normally she was a bit nicer about it, but Jack was really getting on her nerves-

"Wait, look!" Jack pointed to the screen they were watching. They had seen you leave that morning, seen you leave your child with your neighbors, and now they could see your neighbors dragging your confused child out of the house. Ana stared in horror as she spotted the Talon insignia on the phone the man was using, he free hand tightly gripping the little boy's wrist.

"We have to do something!" Jack hissed, immediately going for his pulse rifle. Ana slapped his hands, glaring again.

"And set off every sleeper agent within earshot? We will do this my way." Ana picked up her rifle, moving the aim out a slot in the back of the moving truck. 

The red haired man never made it to the sidewalk.

Ana slipped out of the van as Jack moved to the front seat to start the engine. The little boy was panicking now, staring at the unconscious adult on the ground.

"Do you need help, young man?" Ana asked gently. Jack's head snapped up, his blue eyes widening. 

"Oh! You're the lady from the park! Mrs... Mrs..." Jack chewed his lip, fidgeting and looking from Ana to the unconscious Talon agent and back again.

"Mrs. Sahay, dear. It looks like you were in some trouble. Was he trying to take you somewhere you didn't want to go?" Jack nodded, shifting from foot to foot in an uncanny echo of his father's earlier movements. "Why don't we get you someplace safe? I have a phone, you can call your mother. Does that sound alright?" Ana offered her hand. This would be much easier if Jack just agreed to go with her....

"I don't know... Mommy said not to go with strangers, but..." He glanced at the man lying on the ground. He had been a family friend, but he had changed so suddenly, had practically dragged Jack outside, had said so many scary things about experiments and tests... Jack looked up at Ana again, his eyes suddenly steely. "You're a good guy, right? A hero?"

Ana felt a shiver down her spine. Those eyes... 

"Yes dear. I'm one of the good guys."

Jack took her hand and followed her back to the van. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay! work has been kicking my ass XC


	7. Chapter 7

"You're not even gonna talk to him?" Jesse's voice was uncharacteristically sharp as he cornered Jack near the medical bay.

"He doesn't even know who I am." Jack said gruffly, avoiding Jesse's gaze.

"And he ain't gonna know unless you talk to him! Ya ain't even gotta spill the beans yet, you coward. Just. Just meet him." Jesse said, his shoulders slumping. He pulled the hat from his head and ran a hand through his head, chewing his lip like he needed a smoke. "He... He looks a lot like you. The kid, I mean. But the way he talks, it's like hearing a recording of her voice..." He sighed and put his hat back on. "Look. I can't drag you in there and make you meet him, but I think it would be good for you." Jesse clapped his hand on Jack's shoulder as he passed by. "Think on that."

The second Jesse was out of sight Jack practically bolted for the med bay. The door hissed as it opened, and he saw Angela look up-

"Oh hello! Have you come to meet my new assistant?" Angela was beaming, and across from her, currently seated in her chair was a small figure wrapped in a lab coat far too large.

"I'm gonna be a registered nurse!" The young boy cheered, grinning at Jack. His blood ran cold, he had your smile. Thankfully, Jack's mask hid his expression, though Angela seemed to pick up on his discomfort.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, nurse?" She said sweetly, moving to pat the little boy's hair. 

"Oh! Um. My name is Jack." He said, his tongue poking out from between his teeth as he rolled up the sleeve of his lab coat and extended one hand to Jack to shake.

After a moment of hesitation, Jack stepped forward and took that small hand in his own.

"My name is John." Jack didn't miss Angela's sharp look. Not once in his entire life had he gone by the name on his birth certificate, but he just wasn't ready to untangle any more of the mess that was his life right now. It took everything he had to keep himself from making a break for it.

"Hi John! You've got a cool mask." Little Jack said, still smiling. He was so open, so happy, so... so strange. Jack didn't know how to deal with him, didn't know how to accept this strange child as his son. It left him reeling, his heart hammering in his chest and anxiety rolling in his stomach. What if he said something wrong? What if he ruined this budding relationship?

"...Thanks." Jack said, his voice rough. "Is Angela taking care of you?"

"Yup!" Little Jack said, popping the end of the word. He kicked his feet, his toes not even reaching the floor. "Miss Angela said that she's going to try and find my mom!" Jack shot a glance at Angela. In the few hours since they had recovered the boy from the Talon sleeper town they hadn't been able to locate you at all. It was as if you had simply vanished into thin air. Surveillance had shown Talon agents crawling over your entire neighborhood, tearing the place apart looking for little Jack and any Overwatch agents that might be lurking. Luckily they hadn't been looking for remotely operated drones, and Winston had managed to get a decent idea of what was going on before he had to withdraw.

"Do you know what your mom was doing before she left?" Jack asked, kneeling down. It was so much easier to think of this as an interrogation, to turn this into something professional. He didn't want to think about the real meaning of any of this. He didn't want to think at all.

"Um... She was going on a business trip. She left me with Mister Ron, but then he started acting all weird and I got scared... Then Miss Ana saved me!" Jack said, recounting the events of that day. "I got to meet lots of nice people today! Miss Ana brought me here and I met Doctor Angela!" Jack turned to look up at Angela, completely starstruck. She had the decency to blush as Jack kept talking. "I've never met a doctor that's young! All the doctors back home are old and mean." 

Fire alarms went off in Jack's head. 

"Mean? How are they mean?" He asked, fighting the panic growing in him. What had Talon already done to the boy? From the corner of his eye, Jack saw Angela tense up and subtly press a button on her tablet to record what little Jack was about to share.

* * *

_You hummed to yourself as you cooked dinner. You had worked late and missed the time the chow hall was normally open, so you were fixing something in your room._

_Well, technically it was your boyfriend's room. Your standard issue quarters didn't have their own kitchen. Perks of dating the commander, after all._

_Speak of the devil, just as you had that thought a pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist._

_"Something smells good." Your boyfriend said, his stubble tickling your cheek. You smiled and leaned back against him, sighing happily. You felt so safe close to him. He held you as you finished cooking, waiting patiently until you turned off the stove to spin you around to face him._

_He grinned down at you and pulled you in for an eager kiss, his big hands cupping your hips. Your heart swelled, you couldn't be happier-_

_Something was wrong. You pulled back, tasting blood on your lips. You let out a cry of horror as you watched your boyfriend erupt into flames, flesh billowing away in plumes of black smoke until nothing but bone was left. Skeletal fingers dug into your sides, keeping you from escaping._

_"Bonne nuit, chérie."_

You awoke suddenly, your head pounding. Something was very, very wrong. The last thing you remembered was getting into the car and-

Your eyes snapped open, searching the dim room you were in for answers. It seemed to be a hospital room, which calmed you until you realized you were restrained, wrists and ankles cuffed to the bed. 

That's when you spotted her.

Standing about a foot away was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen. She was tall and statuesque, the dim light in the room making her skin look strange and dusky blue. 

"You're awake." She said, her voice soft and accented and... familiar? She took a step closer and stroked your hair back from your face, ignoring the way you flinched at her touch. "Don't worry, chérie. I will keep them from hurting you. We are old friends, non?" She smiled at you, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I was a bridesmaid at your wedding, before it all went wrong." She sighed, her golden eyes distant as she stroked your hair. You couldn't think of anything to say. This woman was clearly insane. You had never been married, let alone asked a stranger to be your bridesmaid! 

But worse than that... Who was she going to protect you from?

"Just relax, chérie. They are going to do some... unpleasant things. But this will make it easier." She left your side to search through a tray of instruments by your side. You watched in silent panic as she filled a syringe with clear liquid. "This is one of my favorites. You won't feel a thing." She purred, tapping the air bubbles from the tip. The restraints kept you from struggling even as she found a vein and injected you with God only knew what drug.

Numbness washed over you like an icy wave. The strange woman smiled at you. 

"They are going to change you. But I will not let them destroy you the way they destroyed me." She whispers, setting the syringe aside. As she spoke, a man in a lab coat rushed in, his face livid.

"What are you doing here? She's supposed to be in isolation!" He snapped, completely ignoring you as you tried to sit up. Your whole body felt heavy, numb and cold from the drug. Even the panic building inside of you felt distant. 

"I suppose we just have to start early..." The man grumbled, shooing the woman out of the room. He glared down at you. "It's about time we got some use out of you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter because im sick

The next time you woke up, you couldn't see anything. At first you thought the room was pitch black, but after a few blinks you realized you were simply blindfolded. You tried to lift a hand to pull it off, only to find your hands were restrained. He tried to speak, to call out for help, but all that escaped your parched throat was a hoarse croak.

That's when you heard the sound of heavy boots approaching.

"Hold on, hold on. You're probably thirsty." A gruff, male voice came form someplace nearby. "Here. It's water." A plastic straw was pressed to your lips and you didn't have time to think before you were drinking blessedly cool water. It soothed your sore throat and dry mouth instantly, and the stranger let you take a few gulps before pulling away.

"How do you feel?" He asked, holding your water hostage.

"Um... Tired. Confused." You rasped, testing your restraints again. How had you gotten here? Why were you here, anyway?

"That's normal." You heard the sound of a chair moving. Was the man sitting down now? Where were you? "Tell me what you remember." And for some reason, you did.

"Not much of anything? Am I supposed to remember?" You paused, chewing your lip. "This seems like I should be freaking out... I don't remember anything, really. No names or faces, just actions and events. I remember a child, but I wouldn't recognize them if I saw them. I remember... a man? I think. I used to work with lots of people... And a war. I remember a war." You said, feeling more certain of that than anything else.

"Sounds like everything went according to procedure." The man said, sounding satisfied. He offered you the water again, speaking as you drank. "They've been messing around inside your head. Mental conditioning always happens first, they want to make sure you're stable before spending any time modifying you physically." 

"Who's they?" You asked, pushing the straw out of your mouth to speak.

"Your new boss, Talon."

* * *

 

Angela looked grim as she held the door open for Jack. She had insisted they both brief Winston on what little Jack had shared. It hadn't been much, the word of a child didn't carry too much weight, but it was enough to be suspicious.

Frequent check ups, blood samples, and overnight hospital stays... Talon was clearly looking for something. Angela's working theory was any indication that little Jack had inherited SEP modifications, but since they had no idea what Talon might have already done, that was conjecture at best.

Winston looked up from a tablet, his expression stern. Athena had already sent him the recording.

"This doesn't change anything." 

Jack was the first to speak, and it obviously startled Angela and Winston.

"We can't act rashly because of this information. We'll lose everything if we rush in without thinking." Jack said, his voice flat as he spoke.

"We need a plan."


	9. Chapter 9

The worst part about making a plan was that it took time. Jack wasn't much of a planner anymore, he was much more in favor of charging in. But as he had said himself, shooting first and asking questions later was just going to get them all hurt.

So he waited. He offered advice where he could, but the majority of the planning fell on Winston's broad shoulders. They needed to do recon, and research, and make plans, and do more research, and adjust plans, and do more recon, and it was an endless cycle that Jack knew he had no patience for. Instead he tried to fill his time with literally anything else to keep his mind occupied. He practically lived in the shooting range until Athena shooed him out. He tried to work out but he found himself going in circles. He felt useless, stressed, pent up with no source of relief. 

Finally he decided to go see the kid. 

Angela looked after little Jack most of the time, letting him draw pictures on scrap paper in her office while she did her own work, but today she had left with Hana and Jesse for a small, fast mission. Instead, Jack found his son sitting on the floor in front of Lúcio in the common area. Little Jack was grinning from ear to ear as he copied simple clapping rhythms from Lúcio. 

"Music lessons?" Jack asked, taking a hesitant step closer. He never knew if he was welcome with the younger members of Overwatch, but Lúcio was pretty friendly...

"Yeah! The little man heard my music and wanted to learn. You wanna join in? It's always good to review the basics." Lúcio invited him in easily and Jack breathed a sigh of relief behind his visor. He didn't want to make things awkward, but that seemed to be his natural state of being these days. He took a seat on the easy chair across from Lúcio, waving to little Jack.

"Hi John! I learned about half notes!" He said enthusiastically. Jack supposed it was good to keep the boy distracted. If he was too busy, he wouldn't get homesick, right? He was pretty sure that was how that worked. God, Jack had no idea how to handle kids. He was too old to be a dad, too old and too messed up inside.

"Sounds impressive." Jack said, trying to sound friendlier than he felt. The little boy's smile made him feel off guard and uncomfortable. He had no idea what to do with himself, so he wound up just clapping along quietly as Lúcio taught little Jack about rhythm and tempo. It felt almost... domestic.

* * *

"Blood pressure, one-thirty over eighty-five... Temperature, thirty-eight degrees Celsius... Heart rate, ninety-five beats per minute." A doctor dictated in a bored voice. She didn't look at you as she took your vital signs, she barely even seemed to notice you were awake.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" You asked, trying to sit up despite your restraints.

"Vitals slightly elevated, but normal. Test subject remains indistinguishable from an unmodified human." She rattled on, shining a flashlight into your eyes. You didn't flinch away, though you felt something inside your eye... move. It was a bizarre feeling, and some distant part of you felt like it should be freaking out. That was the same part of you that felt like it should freak out over your lack of memories, but... You just couldn't bring yourself to care. 

"Ma'am, I'll cooperate with your tests, can you just give me a little explanation? Maybe uncuff my wrists?" You asked before obediently opening your mouth as the doctor presented a tongue depressor. 

"Test subject is coherent but shows no signs of aggression. Recommend advancing to next stage of testing." She said, sounding as bored as ever as she threw away the tongue depressor and picked up a syringe. You sighed. You had come to recognize those syringes. You lay your head down so you wouldn't fall when she injected you. You closed your eyes, feeling the slight pinch and tingle as cool liquid seeped into your veins.

At this rate you were going to have injection scars like nobody's business...

 

You awoke as suddenly as blinking, the only evidence of time passing being the longer tethers on your wrists. You grinned as you finally scratched your nose, letting out a sigh of relief. You jumped as you heard someone chuckle. Standing across from your bed was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen, and beside her, the most perfect man you had ever laid eyes on. Your mouth fell open as you looked at them, a magnificent god and goddess, two deities blessing the very ground they walked upon. Your mouth fell open as you stared at them, taking in every perfect, flawless detail.

The woman was stunning, her long, dark hair hanging in a loose braid over her shoulder, her gleaming golden eyes looking at you without emotion. Her skin was the most incredible shade of pale blue, inhuman in the most wonderful way. She looked like a statue of living ice, her beauty nearly moving you to tears.

The man was somehow just as perfect, despite being so different from the woman. He was tall and muscular, his black hair and beard peppered with gray hairs. His tanned skin had the faintest gray tinge, like he hadn't seen the sun in a very long time. And yet, he was perfect. Even the scars raked across his face were perfect. 

"Looks like the conditioning worked." The man grunted, and his voice was perfect. He took a step closer and waved a hand in front of your face. "You awake in there?" 

"Y-yes! Sorry!" You gasped, the spell of their beauty suddenly broken. You sucked in a breath you hadn't realized you were holding. "Who... who are you people?" You suddenly realized they both wore dark gray shirts and pants, almost like hospital pajamas... You looked down at yourself, finding a matching set on your own body. You chewed you lip, trying to read the number on your left breast upside-down. _413..._

"We're going to be working with your from now on, _chérie._ " The woman said, smiling in a way that didn't reach her eyes. Her own shirt read 121. What did the numbers mean? 

"Do you remember your name?" The man asked, drawing your attention again. You found yourself shaking your head before you could consciously think to answer, you body instinctively giving the perfect man the information he asked for. The man sighed. Had you disappointed him? No, no, that was the last thing you wanted!

"I can have a new name if you want me to have a name!" You said hastily, something deep inside your brain needing to please him. You suddenly knew that you would die for him if he asked you to. Instead, the man shook his head.

"No, it's not important. Your employer, Talon, will give you a code name soon. They sent us to check how your mental conditioning was going." He explained, his face looking deeply pained. Why did he look so upset? Had you caused that? Your brain itched with the idea that you had displeased him. You lifted your hands and scratched your scalp vigorously, trying to reach the uncomfortable feeling inside your head. 

" _Chérie._ " Cold hands took hold of yours and pulled them away from your head. You looked up to see the woman, the perfect, beautiful woman, the woman that you would lay your life down for... "You will call me Widowmaker." She said in her gentle, softly accented voice. 

"Widowmaker." You repeated, feeling her code name cross your lips in the most perfect way. She nodded, her eyes unfeeling as she smiled at you.

"That's right. And he is Reaper." She said, gesturing to the man. 

"Reaper." His code name was just as perfect as hers, you wanted to repeat them both a hundred million times. 

"As soon as you are trained, you will be working in the field with us." Widowmaker said, stroking your knuckles. Her cold hands soothed the heat under your skin. You felt feverish, but only just barely. "I am a sniper, and Reaper attacks more... head on." She said, smirking at some joke you didn't know. "I have been told you will be trained to complement us. Would you like that?" Before she had even finished the question, you were nodding. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! You would like to work with her, you would like to work with Reaper. Anything to help them, anything so that you could continue to bask in their perfection!

"What did they do to her? I swear I wasn't this bad when I first woke up..." Reaper growled, snapping his fingers in front of your face. You felt your face turn deep red as you realized you had been staring, open mouthed, at Widowmaker's face. 

"She will acclimate soon. If not, she will get too distracted to be useful on the field." Widowmaker said calmly as she let go of your hands. You ached for her to touch you again, you needed her affirmation! You bit your lip hard at the thought of not being useful to her. You wanted nothing more than to be what she needed. "We will see you soon, _chérie._ You must focus on healing so that your training can begin, _non?_ "


End file.
